James Low

James Low (4 April 1791 – 1852) was a Scottish military officer with the East India Company who was known for his writings on the Thai language and the art and culture of the Malay Peninsula.

Life and career Low was born on 4 April 1791 at Kingskettle in Fife, Scotland to Alexander Low and his wife Ann Thompson. The British Malayan colonial officer Hugh Low shares the same surname, but is no relation.

He graduated from Edinburgh College and was then nominated for a cadetship in the East India Company's Madras Army in 1812. He was accepted and embarked from Portsmouth on the East Indiaman Astell, which reached Madras in July 1812. During the first five years, Low acquired military competencies and language skills. The company's policy was that their officers had to be capable of basic communication with the Indian soldiers under their command. In May 1817 Low was appointed adjudant, and then promoted to the rank of lieutenant in August of the same year. In January 1819 Low moved to the East India Company's settlement in Penang and spent the rest of his career in and around the Straits of Malacca. In 1820 he was given command of the Penang Local Corps until the corps was disbanded in 1827.